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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. shower — rain
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spell — letters
  17. land — ground
  18. deal — to handle
  19. land — a country
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — to bear
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com